Abstract
A sequence centered 166 nucleotides upstream of the mouse H-2Kb class I major histocompatibility gene binds a nuclear factor, H2TF1, found in many cell types. Previous studies have shown that binding of H2TF1 to this sequence stimulates class I gene expression. Furthermore, this factor binds a similar sequence in the 72-base-pair repeat enhancer element of simian virus 40. We show here that NF-.kappa.B, an inducible B-cell-specific factor that binds the .kappa. immunoglobulin light chain gene enhancer, also binds the H2TF1 regulatory sequence. Methylation-interference experiments demonstrate that NF-.kappa.B closely interacts with six of the eight symmetrically positioned guanines that contact H2TF1. These experiments suggest that NF-.kappa.B may play a role in class I major histocompatibility gene expression and that H2TF1 and NF-.kappa.B may be related DNA-binding proteins.